If you're looking for that perfect mountain escape where you can kick back by the New River, River Mist Retreat is just the place for you. With 2500 feet of river frontage and forty secluded private acres, it offers endless opportunities for relaxation. While sipping your morning coffee on the front deck, you can watch the mist rise off the river and often spot a nesting eagle or a timid deer crossing through the yard. Many enjoyable hours can be spent canoeing, fishing, or tubing in the river. The spacious home includes a master bedroom with a private deck that overlooks the river, a well equipped kitchen, gas grill, 2 TVs with Netflix streaming, Wifi, and DVD player. Linens are provided.

Area Information

The property is truly a relaxing retreat. It's secluded with enough amenities to keep you occupied (hammocks, a fire pit, horse shoes, volley ball, playhouses, the creek, and the river). The head of the New River Trail in downtown Fries is five minutes from our property. As an old railroad line, the terrain of the New River Trail is gently sloped without hills, making it perfect for visitors off all ages to hike, bike, and ride horseback. For adventure seekers, canoes, kayaks, tubes, and bikes can be rented from New River Outdoor Adventures. Several guests have enjoyed a four hour float from the public boat landing at Riverside on Route 94 back to River Mist Retreat. We hope that our guests enjoy River Mist Retreat as much as we do and create memories to treasure!

About the owner

We're Scott & Shannon and we both grew up in the wonderful small town of Fries. Although time and circumstance moved us away, we have always made sure to come home as often as possible to our beloved Blue Ridge Mountains.

We purchased River Mist Retreat from family in 2009 so that we would have a...

Reviews (1)

Hidden Magic

April 28, 2016

Charmingly hidden from road view and noise, River Mist Retreat seems to have sprung out of the hillside above the New river. There seem to be endless porches, nooks, decks for enjoying the river views and sounds of the mountain wild life. My son even heard a coyote's howls! Inside all was spotlessly clean, decorated tastefully and extremely comfortable. The kitchen is well appointed and the environment felt so safe we never locked the door. Beautiful things were everywhere - wild flowers, exotic rock formations and we longed for a bit warmer weather as the swimming area was so enticing. We certainly want to return and bring more family members to enjoy the experience with us. It's obvious you owners have done a lot of work and we thank you for giving us this opportunity.

Owner's reply:

Ann,

Thanks for taking the time to review River Mist Retreat. We are humbled and grateful for your kind words! All of our hard work is so worth it when we receive reviews like this. It was a pleasure hosting you and we'd be thrilled to have you and your family return for a future stay.

Shannon & Scott

Owner Supplied Testimonials

We'll be back!
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Myself and 4 high school friends made River Mist Retreat our 30 year get-a-away. The drive to the property was beautiful, Christmas tree farms, the winding river/creek beds, farms. We had a wonderful time catching up. The setting is beautiful. The home is spacious and well stocked. We brought all our food, as we didn't anticipate leaving. It snowed on Friday night, but the outside firepit and the indoor gas fireplace kept us toasty. Saturday night I had to open the veranda door in the master suite to feel the cool mountain air. I plan to bring the hubby, dog and 2 teenagers to play in the water this summer. Thank you Paynes, your hospitality was amazing.

Cynthia G.
Kingsport, TN
Stayed: March 2015
Submitted: April 9, 2015

Serenity by the River
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My daughter and two children( 3 and 20 months) and myself had a wonderful weekend. It was so beautiful and serene. My grandson and I built a fire and we all roasted marshmallows. We all walked to the playhouses and enjoyed watching the children play while my daughter and I sat in the swing and watched them. Loved the house with all the amenities. The owner Shannon was such a sweetheart. Made sure we had everything we needed. I will definitely be back. Loved our stay!

Rene, Roxboro, NC
Stayed: May 2015
Submitted: May 25, 2015

Total relaxation (and a terrific bike ride)
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My wife & I had to leave our home for 5 days while our hardwood floors were refinished. Because we had to take our two dogs with us, a hotel was out of the question. Shannon accepted us with our Border Collie and Miniature Dachsund and we couldn't be more delighted. We enjoyed relaxing hours sitting by the New River just below the house, snoozing in the hammock, while our dogs played on the lawn or soaked up the sun. The house was spacious and very well equipped, and we took advantage of the BBQ on the deck and the horseshoe pit nearby. We also enjoyed lengthy bike rides on the nearby New River bike trail (57 miles, completely level -- just our speed). Shannon called twice just to make sure everything was in order (it was!). We definitely plan to return to River Mist Retreat next year!

Bruce & Vicki D.
Stayed: September 2015
Submitted: September 29, 2015

Peaceful and perfect.
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Awesome get away for my husband and I. We biked local trails, fished, read, and relaxed by the fire pit. Next time we are bringing the kids.

Debi B.
Stayed: October 2015
Submitted: October 12, 2015

Perfect Getaway
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My wife and I were looking for a nice, secluded home to celebrate our anniversary and River Mist Retreat fit the bill perfectly. The home is beautiful, clean, well maintained, with a well-stocked kitchen, linens, towels and a lot of nice personal touches. We especially enjoyed having our morning coffee in the rockers on the front porch with the view of the river. It was also great to find such a wonderful home that was pet friendly. Our dog enjoyed exploring the property and joining us for walks on the New River Trail. The owners were very easy to work with, super helpful, and friendly. Thanks for the wonderful experience! We plan to return next summer for a week-long stay.

Larry D.
Stayed: December 2015
Submitted: December 14, 2015

Romantic Valentine's weekend getaway spot!
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My husband and I just spent Valentine’s weekend at River Mist Retreat and we couldn't be more pleased. The owners were very helpful and even called after our arrival to make sure we were finding everything ok. We found the home to be extremely clean and well maintained. It is stocked with everything you could possibly want, including wood for the fire pit which was a huge plus. We especially enjoyed the privacy and the beautiful views of the river. We will definitely recommend this property to family and friends.

Heather B.
Stayed: February 2016
Submitted: February 17, 2016

A slice of Heaven!
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The River Mist Retreat was amazing! My husband and myself, mother, and family friend spent the week in this immaculate home for a much needed vacation and we were not disappointed! From sunrise coffee on the balcony overlooking the river to the lazy afternoons reading in the hammock to the well stocked "double" kitchen to the plush beds we can't say enough about this place! Shannon is an AMAZING host and soooo nice! This is the first vacation we have taken EVER where we were content going absolutely nowhere except grocery shopping and hitting a couple specialty shops in Galax! We spent our week napping, eating, grilling, making s'mores around the firepit, talking, laughing, playing cards and walking down the lane to the creek, where we "swam" and enjoyed wild blackberries. There really is no need to plan outings here. The outings we had planned we scrapped! This was our most relaxing vacation to date! We highly recommend the creek for cooling off (which I NEVER wanted to leave) and The Cafe for the best breakfast in Fries!!! Thanks to Shannon and Scott for their hospitality and entrusting us with their beautiful home.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What are the most fun things to do at River Mist?

A: - Fish from the front yard.
- Spend a day canoeing or kayaking. Our dock is perfect for launching them. New River Outdoors Adventures will deliver to our house.
- Savor a lazy afternoon reading in the hammocks by the river.
- We also have a volleyball net, horseshoes, corn toss, and a fire pit for enjoying an evening making s'mores.
- Children love the log play houses by the creek that flows through our property.

Q: What makes River Mist Retreat special?

A: River Mist is special due to the privacy. We have 2,500 feet of river frontage and 40 acres. It's the perfect retreat to unwind from the stresses of our busy lives.

Q: What is the coolest nearby attraction?

A: A favorite nearby attraction is the New River Trail which has an entrance a few miles from River Mist in downtown Fries.

New River Trail State Park is a state park located in southwest Virginia. It parallels 39 miles of the New River along an old railroad right-of-way, and is a designated National Recreation Trail. At Fries Junction, the trail splits and one branch ends in Fries, Virginia, while the other follows Chestnut Creek for 12 miles to Galax, Virginia.

The trail is a multi-use rail trail that was created out of 57 miles of abandoned railroad formerly owned by the Norfolk Southern Railway. Norfolk Southern donated the land to the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1986 for the purpose of creating a state park. Volunteers began making improvements and the park opened in May 1987, with 4 miles of trail open for use. Since then, 57 miles have been made open for public recreational use. The trail surface is crushed stone.

The trail passes several old industrial towns including Pulaski, Galax, and Fries, as well as the 19th-century Jackson Ferry Shot Tower and two turn-of-the-century hydroelectric dams.

We're Scott & Shannon and we both grew up in the wonderful small town of Fries. Although time and circumstance moved us away, we have always made sure to come home as often as possible to our beloved Blue Ridge Mountains.

We purchased River Mist Retreat from family in 2009 so that we would have a...